I just wanted to let you all know that we are going to be offline starting Friday September 26, 2008. We are going to be moving to a different server, this is in an effort to provide you with a much better experience.

We are hoping to have the move completed by Saturday night (September 27, 2008). Please be patient as we work to improve the site, this is the first of many changes coming to The Windows Pulse.

More on the upcoming changes later.

If you have not heard already, Microsoft is currently discussing the engineering process for Windows “7″, but that’s not all they are doing.

Microsoft is set to openly discuss Windows “7″ and will show off a build to attendees of it’s late October Professional Developers Conference (PDC) and will again show off a build at it’s early November Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC). While it is still unknown if Microsoft plans to hand out a build at either of these conferences, it is more likely that they will give attendees a preview build to take home, as they have in the past.

Currently, Microsoft has released two early M (”Milestone”) builds to a small group of testers, mainly key partners and customers. The two designated builds are Windows 7 Milestone 1 and Windows “7″ Milestone 2. In addition, Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on the forthcoming Milestone 3 build and will deliver that to testers later this month.

The bigger question in all this is when will they deliver beta 1? At this time Microsoft is not discussing a timeframe for a beta program, however, it is likely they will start off with a pre-beta which will probably be a Community Technology Preview (CTP) build before moving into a full fledged beta program. But the consensus seems to be not to expect Microsoft to distribute Windows 7 bits more widely until the Windows 7 is  feature-complete or very nearly so.

On September 10, Microsoft acknowledged that it plans to use its Connect site to sign up potential Windows 7 testers at some point. From a posting to the Windows 7 Engineering blog by Christina Storm, a program manager on the Windows Customer Engineering feature team:

“When we release the Windows 7 beta we will also be collecting feedback from this (Windows Feedback) panel and asking for participation from a set of Windows 7 beta users.Our current plans call for signing up for the beta to happen in the standard Microsoft manner on http://connect.microsoft.com. Stay tuned!”

If Microsoft does release Beta 1 of Windows 7 in mid-December, that will mean the company is aiming to deliver the final Windows 7 product less than a year after the official beta begins. (Microsoft has said, publicly and privately,  that late 2009 is the target date for shipping Windows 7. The date remains the first part of 2010.)

Would a less-than-year-long beta (for what Microsoft is calling a “major” Windows Release) be unprecedented?

While you may or may not be into heavy metal or thrash music, Activision has some new downloadable content coming your way on Friday, September 12.

As you may have heard the once mighty thrash band Metallica is releasing a new record this coming Friday and as excited as I am about that release, I know a few people who will be even more excited. Coming your way anytime after 2:00 AM PDT on Friday, September 21, you will be able to download Metallica’s new record “Death Magnetic” for Guitar Hero III from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

This is not one or two songs from the record, it’s the entire album. Here is what you get when you purchase the album for Guitar Hero III from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace:

1. “That Was Just Your Life” – 7:08
2. “The End of the Line” – 7:52
3. “Broken, Beat & Scarred” – 6:25
4. “The Day That Never Comes” – 7:56
5. “All Nightmare Long” – 7:57
6. “Cyanide” – 6:39
7. “The Unforgiven III” – 7:46
8. “The Judas Kiss” – 8:00
9. “Suicide & Redemption” – 9:57
10. “My Apocalypse” – 5:01

Additionally, you get two versions of “Suicide & Redemption”, which is an instrumental (and a long one might I add). The first version is a solo by Metallica’s frontman James Hetfield and the second version is a solo by the bands lead guitarist Kirk Hammett.

You can have all of the above for the total of 1,440 Microsoft Points or the equivalent of $17.99 USD on Sony’s Playstation 3.

In other Guitar Hero news, Metallica’s Death Magnetic will be compatible with the upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour so you can purchase it for GHII now and play it on Guitar Hero World Tour when that hits the streets in October.

“It’s a first in both music and gaming . . . the same day that “Death Magnetic” hits the streets, you’ll be able to download every song from the album for “Guitar Hero III!” We are so psyched that we’ll be the first out of the gate with this simultaneous release . . .” read a statement on Metallica.com “And for those of you who are anxiously awaiting the next Guitar Hero, “World Tour,” we’re ready for that too . . . you will be able to experience “Death Magnetic” for drums, vocals, and guitar when that game emerges this Fall.”

After years of watching Apple basically walk all over Microsoft with their “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” ads, Microsoft is finally taking a stand.

Yesterday, Microsoft kicked off it’s new ad campaign for Windows last night, while I was watching the NFL Kickoff game on NBC I saw the ad and it was mediocre at best. At any rate, this is all part of Microsoft’s estimated $300 Million dollar, multi-year ad campaign developed by ad shop Crispin, Porter and Bogusky.

In the ad, Seinfeld sizes up Gates’ shoe size (a 10), asks him whether he’s ever tried wearing his clothes in the shower (”never”), and ultimately asks Gates whether Microsoft is ever going to come out “with something moist and chewy like cake.” Seinfeld asks Gates to give him a sign, like adjusting his shorts, if the answer is yes. Gates gives a wiggle in the affirmative.

Although the ads don’t directly mention Apple, Microsoft has said that it no longer intends to let its competition position its products.

According to sources familiar with the campaign, the first ad was designed mainly as a teaser.

It’s a push that began, not with the expensive ads, but rather with the hastily put together “Mojave Experiment” in which Microsoft put Vista in front of Vista skeptics, without telling them it was Vista, to gauge their reactions. (Microsoft has recently started running Mojave-based cable TV ads to complement its online campaign.)

But, with Apple’s Get a Mac ads still running strong, it’s an open question who will have the last word.

Watch The New Microsoft Windows Ad - “Shoe Circus”

Microsoft has officially released beta 2 of Internet Explorer 8 and is available in a number of languages.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 is available for the following languages:

• English
• German
• Japanese
• Simplified Chinese

In addition, Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 is available for the following operating systems:

• Windows XP
• Windows Vista
• Windows Vista x64
• Windows Server 2003
• Windows Server 2003 x64

One of the most talked about new features is InPrivate Browsing, which enables you to browse the web without saving your history with Internet Explorer 8’s InPrivate Browsing. Now you can shop for that special gift with confidence knowing your family won’t accidentally find out or use a shared computer without leaving a trace. Learn More.

Finally, please look for more information regarding Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 during the week, more specifically, I will be publishing my full review of the updated browser tomorrow. Also be on the look out for our exclusive screenshot gallery.

Download Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 Below:

Operating System		English	German	Japanese	Simplified Chinese
Windows XP		Download	Download	Download	Download
Windows Vista		Download	Download	Download	Download
Windows Vista x64		Download	Download	Download	Download
Windows Server 2003		Download	Download	Download	Download
Windows Server 2003 x64		Download	Download	Download	Download